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November 10, 1989 - Image 6

Resource type:
Text
Publication:
The Detroit Jewish News, 1989-11-10

Disclaimer: Computer generated plain text may have errors. Read more about this.

EDITORIAL

Blocking The Way

0

ne of the most disturbing features of the current congres-
sional session has been the Senate's inability to pass the
Hate Crimes Statistics Act over the objections of a single
determined foe, Sen. Jesse Helms, R-NC.
For the second year in a row, Helms has blocked a bill supported
by a broad coalition of political leaders and law enforcement offi-
cials. Helms objects to provisions that mandate the collection of
data on crimes based on the victims' sexual preference, as well as
race, religion and ethnicity.
The tragedy is that the limited statistics now available show an
alarming increase in these crimes of bigotry. Assaults on
homosexuals are leading the way. Indochinese-American leaders
report a frightening rise in violence against members of their
community. Synagogue desecrations and cross-burnings are in-
creasing in frequency.
A few especially dramatic cases, including the vicious attack on
three Jewish students in Brooklyn, have pointed even more clearly
to the need to understand the dynamics of hate crimes as a first
step in developing an antidote to this sickness.
But without a nationwide statistical base, law enforcement offi-
cials are unable to effectively allocate resources in the struggle
against hate crimes, and social planners are hobbled in their
efforts to root out the causes of this abhorrent behavior. The hate
crimes statistics bill is a simple and inexpensive measure that
would provide some of these vital tools.
Regardless of one's attitudes about homosexuality, the collection
of data on crimes against gays is also a critical part of this legisla-
tion. If the government begins picking and choosing which
minorities to protect, all minorities will be endangered.
The time has come for the Senate to stand up to its number one
obstructionist, Jesse Helms, and pass the hate crimes statistics
bill. .

They will be fleeing from a land wrought by civil war, drought,
famine and repressive rural collectivization policies. Their arrival
in Israel will be a boon to the 17,000 Ethiopians already there,
some of whom have been distraught to the extent of suicide
because of the separation from their families who have been
unable to exit from Ethiopia.
But the new wave of immigrants will also put a major strain on
Israel's ability to absorb new immigrants. During 1984 and 1985,
Israel could barely handle the arrival of 10,000 Ethiopian Jews
through Operation Moses. In the next 12 months, about 5,000
Ethiopian Jews are expected to arrive — plus 35,000 Soviet Jews
and several thousand Iranian and Argentinian Jews.
For a tiny nation whose resources are already strapped, Israel
has enormous responsibilities. It is morally and financially brave
of Israel to assume more obligations by opening its doors to yet
more newcomers, many of whom are untrained and can offer no
immediate contributions to Israel's economy. But the Jewish state
is serious about its goal of being a homeland for any and all Jews,
especially those in need.
If, indeed, "We are One," as Jewish organizations are wont to
exclaim, then it is incumbent upon us who live in relative af-
fluence and comfort to help Israel — with finances, material and
spirited encouragement — in properly welcoming and settling
these refugees.

WEVE GOT A MY
ON iZRAE1.1 ONE
ON SWill AFRiGA
AND A PIECE oN

200

son- lu00 5■9

NUCLEAR ARMS
AND ONLY 30
SECON1Z OF
AiRTiME •••1

0

Saving Jews

D814

..7.1• ■

T

he news that Ethiopia and Israel have agreed, after two
years of negotiations, to resume diplomatic relations comes
as a relief to all those concerned about the sad state of the
thousands of Jews still living in Ethiopia. (See story, Page 26.) One
caveat of the agreement between the two counties is that the
Ethiopian government will not stand in the way of those Jews who
wish to emigrate to Israel. It is assumed that the great majority of
B'nei Israel, as Ethiopian Jews call themselves, will leave for
Israel in the next 18 to 24 months.

so (14M ir
414. iNTo

OM oroRY•

thir-61 1N

N

LETTERS

AIDS Quilt Not
Only For Gays

This letter will probably
mean nothing for Susan
Tawil (Letters, Oct. 27). But
for those who read this good
newspaper, her comments
concerning homosexuality
and the Aids Quilt must be
addressed.
The Aids Quilt is a poig-
nant memorial to loved ones
who have died of a dreadful
virus. Those loved ones were
heterosexual as well as
homosexual, children as well
as adults, Jews as well as gen-
tiles, drug abusers as well as
non-drug abusers, and more
and more babies are born

6 FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 1989

with it each day, inexorably.
I wish Susan Tawil could
live a more enlightened life.
Her obvious religious or-
thodoxy has not touched her
heart nor reached her mind,
for Judaism teaches that all
of us are God's children. All
of us.

Merry Silber

Birmingham

Dialogue Needed
On Gay Rights

Ever since I went public in
The Jewish News (Aug. 18)
with the fact that I'm gay, I've
heard only positive comments
from people who were not

previously aware of my sexual
orientation.
From members of the con-
gregation, acquaintances of
the family, friends, strangers,
and even the rabbi came the
comments, "courage" and
"pride."
No one mentioned shame or
embarrassment as did the
writer from Oak Park (Oct.
27). I was beginning to
wonder if Detroit's Jewish
community was somehow
ahead of the rest of the world
in terms of education and
understanding of the lack of
choice available to gays and
lesbians.
I thank the writer, obvious-
ly not because I agree with

her viewpoint, but for speak-
ing out, and in so doing,
acknowledging that there is
work to be done. It's time to
begin the dialogue, with all
segments of our community,
at all levels. It's time for class
to be called to order and for
the entire community to
begin to listen, to learn and
to love.

Sandy Berris

The Holocaust
And Punishment

Regarding
Martin
Shlanger's letter of Oct. 27, I
want to assure all readers of
The Jewish News that the

Chasidim and the leaders do
not think that God justifiably
punished the Jewish people
during Shoah.
Why God did not intervene
we do not know. We know that
in Egypt, when Pharoah
enslaved the children of Israel
and inflicted pain and suffer-
ing to them, God told Moses
he couldn't stand by to see
His people suffering. In the
Haggadah it says that God
with His majesty alone
redeemed them.
You cannot compare the suf-
fering of Egypt with the suf-
fering and annihilation of
Shoah. It is unique, not only

Continued on Page 10

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